Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Following the attendant officer to seek out Maid Tifa, Shard first pondered the cost of the carpet beneath his feet in terms of Mias, then realized that after meeting the King, unlike the protagonists in stories he had read before, he didn't entertain the thought "I could replace him."

Not only because secular power really seemed trivial compared to mysticism and those supernatural powers but also because studying to be a Circle Sorcerer was immensely time-consuming, and the recent King was still at work at eight in the evening, and that wasn't even the end of his day.

The poor man's receding hairline spoke volumes about the hardships of his royal duty.

Having come to a different world, the Outlander wanted to explore more of this magnificent and mysterious world, rather than spend a lifetime behind a desk.

After meeting up with Maid Tifa, they left Yordle Palace. But instead of going straight back to Saint Delan Square, they took a carriage to retrieve the Relic that the Duchess had promised.

In passing, Miss Maid would also hand over the promised "White Stone Crystal" to Shard.

In the carriage, Shard retrieved his belongings. He also mentioned his conversation with Larus III, especially the last sentence. Miss Tifa Servet laughed a little when she heard that question, assuring Shard not to worry about it:

"Those in power always assume they are surrounded by coveters, and clearly, our King is no exception to this," she said.

The promised Relic was kept at Miss Galina's mansion in the suburbs; though Shard had the address from before, this was his first visit there.

The place was eerily peculiar.

He spent the entire journey gazing out of the carriage window, then noticed the fog growing thicker as they neared the mansion, a fog unlike any caused by city pollution.

Once the carriage halted in front of the towering gate of the suburban mansion, the fog suddenly vanished. Looking around, aside from the dirt road the carriage had traveled on, the area was enclosed by woods and wastelands, with nothing but a grey mist beyond.

"This place kind of resembles the residences of witches in stories."

Of course, he merely thought this and did not dare to express the thought in front of the Maid.

As the mansion's owner, Miss Galina, was not present, Shard did not go inside but waited in the carriage. Maid Tifa quickly returned via the mansion's central gravel path, boarded the carriage, and they immediately headed back.

Looking out at the mansion under the night sky from the carriage window, Shard realized that not a single light was on inside. This eerie situation intensified his curiosity about the place, but since he had not actually entered the mansion, the inner voices could not detect any elements.

"Detective, here is the thing you requested,"

Amidst Shard's speculation, Miss Maid carefully opened the cloth bag she held. Wrapped in the yellow burlap stained with blood was a grotesque stone mask, with openings only at the mouth while the eyes and nose were blocked.

Shard's thoughts snapped back as his eyes blinked and the "Echo of Blood" activated, seeing the mask covered in bloodstains.

"This is the Keeper of Secrets Level Relic, 'Another Face,' that the lady found for you, Detective. Want to guess its function?" she asked, then handed over the mask to Shard. Due to its complete stone material, it was quite heavy. The rough stone surface was even slightly prickly:

"Does it turn a human into a vampire once worn?"

Shard pondered and joked.

"No, this Keeper of Secrets Level Relic allows the user to drip two drops of their blood on each eye of the mask, letting them control the face as it flies, sharing its sight, smell, and senses. The mask itself is extremely aggressive, capable of devouring and digesting. Moreover, anything alive that the mask consumes temporarily increases the holder's strength and stamina."

"What about the side effects?"

If only considering its functions, "Another Face" could be deemed a flawless ranged attack weapon.

"Once you start using this mask, unless the user dies, the connection with it cannot be severed. The user must manipulate this mask to consume a living person weekly, otherwise, 'Another Face' will definitely go out of control, forcibly attaching to the back of the user's head, devouring the user's spirit, and controlling the soulless corpse.

Do not place it on the head of any creature, and when unattended, be sure to wrap it in this burlap cloth, which bears the blood of several hundred devout clergy members, as it's a containment condition," she explained.

Perhaps it was a stone crushed under the wheel; the carriage jolted:

"Detective, are you satisfied with this relic?"

She asked Shard, well aware of the relic's negative traits, which seemed virtually unacceptable to the average person.

In the relatively confined space, Shard could easily smell the fragrance of the perfume on Miss Maid. As she inquired, she made a subconscious movement of leaning forward, which made this scent even more prominent.

Though the side effects of the relic were significant, Shard was fully accepting. He needed not a weapon but a one-time-use tool.

As long as he used this mask when he had the opportunity to absorb divinity, even if not successful, the mask would shatter from daring to devour a deity, not allowing him to possess it permanently.

"Very satisfied."

Hearing this response, Miss Maid showed a strange expression, but she did not ask further.

"Additionally, here is the White Stone Crystal you requested."

She then handed Shard a yellow-brown wooden box. Upon opening it, he saw it was filled with straw, in the center of which lay a crystal as big as a goose egg.

White and semi-translucent, it was uneven on the inside, containing fibrous material. This was not a standard elliptical sphere; its surface comprised numerous pentagonal facets.

Shard merely glanced at it before closing the box. Though he could not find information on the "White Stone Crystal," he understood there was no need for her to deceive him:

"So, Miss Servit, what do you need me to do in return for obtaining this crystal?"

He hadn't forgotten there was a price to pay.

The maid in the same carriage car smiled slightly, her lips painted with a faint lipstick, an action that made the lines of her lips more distinct:

"It's nothing difficult, even unrelated to the dangerous relic. It's a personal matter. You see, recently I have been researching some unique magic potions."

She reached her right hand into the pocket of her maid skirt, pinching out three wooden tiny vials of the same style but inscribed with different numerical codes, each about the thickness of a thumb and roughly the length of a normal fountain pen.

She shook her hand slightly, and the sound of liquid shaking immediately emanated from the tiny vials between her fingers:

"I think I've succeeded, but I hope to find someone to help me..."

"No, I will not drink any magic potion of unknown origin."

Shard shook his head, stating he could obtain the White Stone Crystal elsewhere and was not willing to risk trying any magic potion. Although he had conditionally trusted the maid and Miss Galina for the time being, that did not mean he would agree to anything without considering it.

And more importantly, he truly didn't understand the level of Tifa Servet's capabilities with magic potions.